Four Jayhawks Land CSC Academic-All District Distinctions

Four Jayhawks Land CSC Academic-All District Distinctions

4/8/2026 2:56:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior Shiyun Lai and seniors Lydia Lafferty, Lize Lukas van Leeuwen and Hailey Farrell have earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors for their excellence in the classroom and in the pool.

The recognition makes Lai, Lafferty and Lukas van Leeuwen eligible in consideration for the CSC Academic All-America First, Second and Third Teams, which will be voted on later this spring.

The 2025–26 Academic All-District Women's Swimming & Diving Teams, selected by the CSC, honor the nation's top student-athletes for achievements both in the water and in the classroom. To qualify, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and make meaningful contributions to their team.

This marks the third consecutive season that Lukas van Leeuwen and Farrell have been recognized by the CSC, the second straight season for Lafferty, and a first-time honor for Lai.

Lai, from Guangdong Province, China, is a two-time NCAA and CSCAA All-American and the first Jayhawk to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors in back-to-back seasons. She placed first and second on the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, respectively, at the Big 12 Championships and helped lead Kansas to a 25th-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

From Watonga, Oklahoma, senior captain Lafferty, an exercise science major, set two school and Robinson Pool records in the 100-yard butterfly this season. She earned All-Big 12 First Team recognition for her fourth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly (53.12) and finished ninth in the 100-yard backstroke (53.50) at the Big 12 Championships.

Senior captain Hailey Farrell, an exercise science major from Hutchinson, Minnesota, contributed points throughout the season, including a Robinson Pool record in the 200-yard IM (2:01.31), a Big 12 Swimmer of the Week award, and top 25 finishes in individual events at the Big 12 Championships.

Lukas van Leeuwen, a philosophy major from Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, Netherlands, made an impact for the Jayhawks' diving squad at the NCAA Zone Diving Meet and Big 12 Championships, placing fourth on the platform dive (244.80 points), earning All-Big 12 First Team recognition, and fifth on the 3-meter (303.25 points), qualifying for Second Team honors.

For the full list of names on the NCAA CSC Academic All-District Team, click here.